The roster
GK, James Donaldson, Atlanta United
GK, Philipp Eckle, FC Augsburg
GK, Toby Szewczyk, Red Bull New York
LB, Prince Forfor, Columbus Crew
RB, Eddie Chadwick, Queens Park Rangers
RB, Joshua Wilbrenninck-van Cuilenborg, Feyenoord
CB, Miles Aalbersberg, Ajax (2010)
CB, Gianmarco Di Noto, Columbus Crew
CB, Astin Mbaye, AC Milan
DM, Deven Cadigan, Red Bull New York
DM, Peter Molinari, NYCFC
CM, Judah Siqueira, New England Revolution
CM, KK Spivey, San Jose Earthquakes
CM, Ignacio Suarez-Couri, Atlanta United
AM, Vinny Garcia, LA Galaxy (2010)
AM, Robert Turdean, Chicago Fire (2010)
W, Will Ostrander, PSV Eindhoven
W, Makai Wells, New England Revolution
W, Edward Wumah, Girona FC
CF, Malik Jakupovic, Philadelphia Union
CF, Kashan Hines, Sporting Kansas City
Roster reactions
The USYNT pool changes a lot from U15 to U17, and the 2009 class is a good example. The first-ever 2009 U15 camp included Donaldson, Szewczyk, Chadwick, Mbaye, Spivey, Turdean and Ostrander — seven of the 21 players on this roster. Mathis Albert and Adri Mehmeti were also on that roster, and Cavan Sullivan was already playing up with the 2008s.
Two more players on this roster got at least one camp during the U15 season: Prince Forfor and Gianmarco Di Noto.
That leaves 12 of the 21 who were never called in during the U15 cycle: Eckle, Aalbersberg, Wilbrenninck-van Cuilenborg, Cadigan, Garcia, Siqueira, Molinari, Suarez-Couri, Hines, Jakupovic, Wells and Wumah.
What to take away from this? Things change a lot from U15 to U17, and European-based players tend to get integrated later, though there are signs that’s changing with the 2012 class.
Goalkeepers
There are no surprises in this group. Toby Szewczyk, is likely the No. 1, and the No. 2 could be either Philipp Eckle or James Donaldson. I’d go with Eckle, both on ability and because an appearance in this tournament would provisionally cap-tie him. He’s also played for German youth national teams. Szewczyk is a quality goalkeeper prospect who should be a strength of this squad.
Right-backs
The right-back position has been a problem for this age group for a long time. I’m hopeful that Joshua Wilbrenninck-van Cuilenborg, Feyenoord (JWvC), who has also been a Dutch youth international, solves it. He was in the last U.S. camp before this tournament and must have shown well, though the bar he had to clear was low. I haven’t seen him play in a few years, so I don’t have a feel for what to expect from him. Eddie Chadwick has been a mainstay since this group officially got underway two and a half years ago. I know he’s a great kid and a chemistry guy, and the staff clearly values what he brings, but I haven’t personally seen a youth national team talent level from him.
Left-backs
Prince Forfor is the lone left-back and, for me, the clear top left-back in this class. I’d expect Chadwick or JWvC to rotate at left-back as well, since there are no other left-footed defenders on the roster. Forfor is a very good 1v1 defender who adds pace and overlapping ability in the final third. This team will need him to have a very good tournament to make noise.
Center-backs
Of the three center-backs selected, only one would have made my roster: Astin Mbaye,. I’d have also included CB, Ethan Degny, Nice and CB, Tyson Espy, Orange County SC, my top-rated center-back in this class. It wasn’t looking good for either, since neither had been in a camp in a while, but both are unquestionably two of the most projectable center-backs in this class. From what I can see, this looks like a talent ID miss, though those long camp absences could point to availability or other factors I’m not aware of.
Gianmarco Di Noto is a safe, high-floor pick to me, but I’m not sure he’s a future USMNT-level talent. Miles Aalbersberg (2010) isn’t the level of prospect I’d typically like to see playing up, but I’m not too mad at it. It’s a position of need throughout the pool, and we had an opportunity to get him committed, so I get it.
Pivots
Deven Cadigan and Peter Molinari are the 6s. They’re similarly profiled 6s who do their best work in possession but have some deficiencies against the ball. KK Spivey,Judah Siqueira and CM, Ignacio Suarez-Couri are all more 8s, and all three can also play as 10s. Spivey is one of the most pivotal players on this roster. He’s one of the most talented players, no question, but he can go quiet in games where he needs to take the initiative. I’m hoping he really introduces himself at this tournament.
I’m going to take a moment for a victory lap on the Siqueira selection. I’ve been calling for him for years, no joke, and he gets invited to one camp and now makes the U17 World Cup roster. You’re welcome.
Attacking midfielders
The two more attacking midfielders are Robert Turdean and Vinny Garcia, both 2010s who have been playing up with this group for a while. Garcia can also play as an 8, and Turdean can also play as a left winger. Both made my roster, but neither clears my bar for playing up by a wide margin. That bar should be very, very high. This just isn’t a position of strength for the 2009s, so I get it.
Wingers
The most important player in this group is Edward Wumah. He’s the one wide player with the ability to consistently win his 1v1 battles and unbalance a defense. This team will need him to do that and cause problems, and if he can be even a little efficient in the final third, that’s a bonus. Makai Wells is another player I’d been calling for since the U15 level, so I’m glad to have called this one right as well. He’s a good footballer who may not be a winger long term, but he’ll find a home somewhere because he’s good at a lot of things. Will Ostrander is one of the few players in this age group who has been a constant since U15 level.
Center-forwards
Malik Jakupovic is the top prospect on this roster. There might have been some questions about whether he’d be released, given he’s carved out a small role with the Philadelphia Union first team, but the expectation was that he’d be here, given how important he is and how often Philly releases players for USYNT tournaments. He might be the most important player on this roster. He hasn’t had a great goal-scoring record this season, but the talent is undeniable, and the team will need him to get hot at the right time. Kashan Hines is the deserved backup 9 and can also play on the wing in a pinch. The backup 9 spot has been a question for a while, and Hines did enough to win the job.
Who I would have selected
Of the 21 players I’d have called, 12 were selected. I may have also included JWvC, but I haven’t seen him in a couple of years, so I couldn’t say for sure. Of the players not selected that I’d have preferred, I feel strongest about Bruegmann, Espy and Gardner.
RB, Myles Gardner, Houston Dynamo put together some really good performances for this team, has positional versatility with his ability to play right winger and right-back and has tremendous upside. He’s an Alex Freeman-type profile who’s a little raw now but could develop into a really good player.
Espy is my top-rated center-back in this class. His move to Orange County has been a little disappointing, but you can’t tell me he doesn’t have the talent to be an important player for this team. I think this could be looked back on as a head-scratching decision.
Of the rest of the guys, DM, Lukas Bruegmann, Hoffenheim is the only one where I could see a scenario in which he didn’t accept an invite in hopes of getting an opportunity with Germany, but I doubt it.
I have two additional 2010s on my list — DM, Nathan Tchoumba, Colorado Rapids and CF, Jamil Danjaji, Columbus Crew. Tchoumba specifically is a player I think could raise the ceiling of this group. Physically, he’d have no problem playing up, and he provides a defensive presence this roster lacks. Danjaji is a bit raw, but the backup striker role behind Jakupovic has been unsettled for a while, and Danjaji is playing at the same level (MLS Next Pro) as a lot of these guys and doing well. He’d have added a true X-factor with his speed and ability to run vertically.
My 21:
GK: Toby Szewczyk, Philipp Eckle, James Donaldson
LB: Prince Forfor
RB: Myles Gardner, Nash Dearmin
CB: Tyson Espy, Astin Mbaye, Ethan Degny
DM: Nathan Tchoumba (2010), Lukas Bruegmann
CM: KK Spivey, Judag Siqueira, Vinny Garcia (2010)
AM: Jai Bansoodeb, Robert Turdean (2010)
W: Edward Wumah, Makai Wells, Mattheo Dimareli
CF: Malik Jakupovic, Jamil Danjaji (2010)
Roster grade: C+
There was a point when this class looked like one of the strongest we’d seen in the U.S. youth pool in a long time. And while some of the special players at the top — Albert, Mehmeti and Sullivan — have delivered so far, the rest of the class has plateaued or, in some cases, fallen off. The top prospects on this roster for me are Jakupovic, Spivey, Forfor, Wumah, Szewczyk and Mbaye. The three 2010s are also talented players, and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle this challenge. Of the three, I’m most optimistic that Garcia can be a difference-maker.
There are no true position groups of strength, more so good players scattered throughout the pitch. I worry about the athleticism of the center-back and midfield groups. I think a dynamic opponentw could really stretch the central spaces. I also worry about how many players can truly be difference-makers on the ball. A lot will be riding on Spivey, Garcia, Turdean, Wumah and Jakupovic.
Without knowing the full picture, Gardner and Espy look like big misses to me, and I think the 2010s I mentioned above would have been good additions. I think this is a weaker team than the group we sent to the U17 World Cup last year, but hopefully they’ll play better together as a team and surprise.
